Chapter 107: Investigation Record

First Day’s Transcript.

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“Name?”

“Lin Heng.”

“Occupation?”

“Former staff member of the Behavioral Analysis Division, Technical Department, Qingjiang Provincial Office; Level One Police Officer.”

“Why did you kill the victim?”

“… There are many complicated reasons.”

“Complicated?”

“… Yes. Including personal reasons and other factors.”

“Could you elaborate?”

“… I haven’t fully organized my thoughts yet, sorry.”

“Alright… Then, when did you begin harboring the intent to kill the victim?”

“… It was roughly after I received the death notification of Xixi through the ‘Gray Shadow Envoy’ phone and learned that Yang Luo was the mastermind behind everything.”

“‘Gray Shadow Envoy’… is that the gray dog from the previously submitted text records that could speak human language?”

“… Yes.”

“A supernatural entity, then… By the way, Officer Lin Heng—it's said that when you emerged from the bottom of Broken Dragon Valley, your entire body was covered in bone, looking like a skeleton… How come you appear so normal now?”

“… That’s my ability, called ‘Super-derivative Regeneration.’ As long as I have some surviving cells, I can rapidly propagate and regenerate other cellular structures in a short time and choose which primary tissue to develop—whether bone, muscle, or other cellular body tissues, I can derive them all.”

“I see. So this current form must be the one you developed after your body was adjusted and reconstructed during captivity?”

“—Exactly.”

“Good, I understand… Now, let’s return to the main topic. Officer Lin Heng, how did you kill Yang Luo?”

“When I learned that Yang Luo was heading north to the Imperial Capital, I received an email showing his departure station and intermediate stops. I chose Broken Dragon Mountain Station as the location to kill him.”

“Technical experts have restored your mailbox and found a record of a deleted draft that night. However, the content of that draft cannot be recovered because the email provider’s backend was breached and the data erased. But this shouldn’t affect anything critical. Now, Officer Lin Heng, why did you choose Broken Dragon Mountain as the ambush site?”

“… Because beneath Broken Dragon Mountain lies a narrow valley bottom with poor air circulation. I knew the nature of Yang Luo’s supernatural ability was related to fire. Although both of us are supernaturals, I also understand that supernaturals retain some human physiological needs, such as requiring oxygen to breathe.”

“Please explain in detail.”

“—Supernaturals require oxygen for respiration. So when he uses his flame ability, he consumes a large amount of oxygen from the air, creating a zone where breathing is obstructed, thus giving me an opportunity to kill him. Originally, I intended only to endure his flames during the attack and kill him by surprise… But his flame’s temperature was unexpectedly high, and I had to sever my tail to survive, feigning death. Then I used my ‘Super-derivative Regeneration’ ability to lie in wait and stab him from behind.”

“Hmm, technicians later examined the fire scene and found the highest temperature at the center reached 6,000 degrees Celsius—enough to vaporize the human body and heat internal water vapor into plasma. Are you saying you survived in that fire?”

“The center of his flames reached 6,000 degrees, but the outer burst was only around 2,000 to 3,000 degrees. At the moment of his ability’s eruption, my upper body was indeed subjected to 6,000-degree heat, just as plasma and extreme heat were about to penetrate me. I used ‘Super-derivative Regeneration’ to create a circular bone blade at my waist, completely severing my upper body from my lower body, then used the momentum to propel my upper half away. Meanwhile, the remaining body parts transformed into rings of bone tissue. Since the outer fire’s temperature was lower, the remaining tissues were not immediately vaporized.”

“—Wait, Officer Lin Heng, according to what you just said—if your upper body was destroyed by high heat and plasma instantly, wouldn’t your brain have died as well? Are you saying… even if your brain is destroyed, you can still survive?”

“… Yes.”

“… Officer Lin Heng, may I ask a question? You mentioned your ‘Super-derivative Regeneration’ allows rapid regeneration from a small portion of surviving cells. What is the minimum amount of surviving cells needed to complete this regeneration?”

“… Approximately… ten thousand…”

“Ten thousand? You can regenerate as long as ten thousand cells survive?”

“… Yes, I believe as long as about ten thousand cells remain, I can recover.”

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Second Day’s Transcript.

“Hello, Officer Lin Heng. I am today’s examiner, but you may consider our conversation as casual dialogue, no need to be so formal.”

“… Hello.”

“Relax a bit. Yesterday, my colleague questioned you about the incident at Broken Dragon Mountain and related matters. Today, we can broaden the discussion beyond the incident itself. First, continuing from yesterday’s unfinished answer—Officer Lin Heng, have you reached a conclusion about your motive for killing the victim?”

“… I’ve mostly organized my thoughts.”

“Can you elaborate?”

“… First, Yang Luo committed numerous murders, killing innocent civilians. I believed those deaths needed to be avenged.”

“So the primary reason was to uphold justice.”

“… Second, my partner died in an explosion he caused.”

“Then the second reason is personal hatred.”

“… Third, I believe Yang Luo had become intoxicated by power. He sought to transcend all rules with strength, aiming to suppress the entire nation and world under such force. Therefore, I hoped that by killing him, I could set a precedent for other potential supernaturals—that even if supernatural beings commit crimes, they shall be exterminated.”

“—So the third reason was to set a public example.”

“… However…”

“… However?”

“… Those three reasons were my thoughts before killing him—I firmly believed in them. Yet… after killing him, I’ve been wondering if those were merely my own self-justifications. When I used supernatural power to kill him without arrest or trial, didn’t I also overstep the bounds of the law?”

“…”

“… It’s just that if I hadn’t killed him, he would have escaped punishment, not been lawfully executed—and even if captured, thousands more lives would likely be lost… Wouldn’t that cause even greater harm? These conflicting thoughts have caused me deep inner turmoil.”

“—Have you found a way to resolve these conflicts?”

“… Not yet. Supernatural power itself transcends existing rules, inevitably shaking and disrupting societal order. After much reflection… I have some thoughts.”

“—What thoughts?”

“… I’ve learned that those who fully support cooperation with Yang Luo are Xu Jingyuan and the Xu family behind him. They seem to want to use Yang Luo to obtain new supernatural seeds and cultivate their own family’s supernaturals.”

“… Is it okay to say that?”

“To some extent, they are no nobler than Yang Luo. They likely engage in comparable illegal acts, but are better at evading the law and keep their hands clean, so they appear untarnished…”

“… Officer Lin Heng, please watch your words!”

“I realized that in this world, rule-breakers are not limited to supernaturals. The latter are just more conspicuous and clash with the existing world, appearing reckless and wild… The true rule-breaker is selfish desire. Whether it’s a supernatural like Yang Luo or a family like the Xus, as long as selfish desire exists and space and environment allow it to flourish, they will always protect their own interests.”

“… Officer Lin Heng, you…”

“In earlier times, such selfish desires, even if propagated, were less problematic—since human life is fundamentally equal, and any family’s fortunes rise and fall over generations. But once connected to supernatural power, it’s a different story. In the future, gods will descend, and various supernaturals will emerge. If supernatural power merges with authority, it may produce ‘noble houses’ or ‘divine clans’ forever dominating the heavens. Therefore… I am willing to devote myself wholeheartedly to the nation’s ‘Supernatural Program,’ even if it means being torn apart, as long as we can cultivate independent supernaturals unbound by gods. But… I have two conditions.”

“… What conditions?”

“First, all supernatural beings must be registered and documented; any illegal acts will be dealt with by law. Second, no family or individual may privately pray to gods to seek supernatural power. All matters relating to supernatural deities must be regulated by the state, and violations will be punished by law.”

“… Officer Lin Heng, don’t forget—you are also one of the supernaturals. You are the one who should be most bound by these rules.”

“—Yes, so I am willing to accept these constraints and become subject to regulation.”

“… Then, do you realize that what you just said sounds like a threat?”

“… I know. And I am prepared to face any consequences of these words.”

(End of Chapter)